Now before you start giving me your answer take a moment to think about the question. I'm not asking what "Klingon flavor" is, I'm asking about the "KDF-flavor" because, unlike Starfleet, the KDF actually represents a wide range of different military cultures. Klingons have this honorable noble warrior culture where they will honor worthy opponents and seek them out, the Klingon allied Trill might appreciate it but can they really live it? Nausicaans, Letheans and Orions are known to be ruthless and aggressive, but they're not known for honor or nobility and any time we've seen them iin canon, it's quite obvious they would much sooner attack forces far weaker than them and would curse the more worthy opponents, not seek them out. Gorn are another group of strange ducks because they've been shown in canon as hyper defensive but not aggressively expansionistic and I've never gotten a 'warrior culture' vibe from them.

So you want KDF-Themed content, but with well over half the faction being non-Klingon races, what do you actually think that's going to mean? Do you really think it's appropriate for a cravenly Nausicaan mercenary to be seeking out 'greater glory?' Would a seductive Orion manipulator really rough up a Ferengi contact to get to the next step of the mission or would she go about lying to him in much the same the Federation does?

I am Lt. Gen. Qor'aS of the Bird-of-Prey Qor'aS wa'. I am Klingon and I do not trust non-Klingons. The weak shall perish.

I am Lt-General Tlexem of the Gurumba siege destroyer Tlexoi. I am Nausicaan and I find military life boring and tedious. I wan't to hunt the weak and steal from them.

I am Lt-General Xriviss of the Varanus ship Xrothis. I am Gorn and I want to crush the Federation... and the Klingon Empire. One day, the Gorn Hegemony will be reborn and the Galaxy will tremble with fear when they hear the word GORN!

I am Major Gen. Duv'eQ of the Vor'Cha attack cruiser Duv'eQ wa'. My brother Qor'aS is the elder brother and speaks for our familiy, but I do not mind having alien officers on my ship. I like to remind them who is the strongest!

I am Lt. Jizefar of the Bird of Prey waqboch vIq'. I am Lethean and I do not mind being ruled by the Klingon Empire. I was unemployed before the war but the Klingons can use my abilities. And they pay well!

Now before you start giving me your answer take a moment to think about the question. I'm not asking what "Klingon flavor" is, I'm asking about the "KDF-flavor" because, unlike Starfleet, the KDF actually represents a wide range of different military cultures. Klingons have this honorable noble warrior culture where they will honor worthy opponents and seek them out, the Klingon allied Trill might appreciate it but can they really live it? Nausicaans, Letheans and Orions are known to be ruthless and aggressive, but they're not known for honor or nobility and any time we've seen them iin canon, it's quite obvious they would much sooner attack forces far weaker than them and would curse the more worthy opponents, not seek them out. Gorn are another group of strange ducks because they've been shown in canon as hyper defensive but not aggressively expansionistic and I've never gotten a 'warrior culture' vibe from them.

So you want KDF-Themed content, but with well over half the faction being non-Klingon races, what do you actually think that's going to mean? Do you really think it's appropriate for a cravenly Nausicaan mercenary to be seeking out 'greater glory?' Would a seductive Orion manipulator really rough up a Ferengi contact to get to the next step of the mission or would she go about lying to him in much the same the Federation does?

Even though those other member races are not Klingons, they are members of the KDF, either through conquest or alliance. Like Starfleet, the KDF would have its own operational procedures aboard its vessels, based on distinctly Klingon ideals. Unlike the Federation, where no particular species is dominant, the Klingons are firmly in charge of the KDF, and they run it as a Klingon organization.

I am Lt. Gen. Qor'aS of the Bird-of-Prey Qor'aS wa'. I am Klingon and I do not trust non-Klingons. The weak shall perish.

I am Lt-General Tlexem of the Gurumba siege destroyer Tlexoi. I am Nausicaan and I find military life boring and tedious. I wan't to hunt the weak and steal from them.

I am Lt-General Xriviss of the Varanus ship Xrothis. I am Gorn and I want to crush the Federation... and the Klingon Empire. One day, the Gorn Hegemony will be reborn and the Galaxy will tremble with fear when they hear the word GORN!

I am Major Gen. Duv'eQ of the Vor'Cha attack cruiser Duv'eQ wa'. My brother Qor'aS is the elder brother and speaks for our familiy, but I do not mind having alien officers on my ship. I like to remind them who is the strongest!

I am Lt. Jizefar of the Bird of Prey waqboch vIq'. I am Lethean and I do not mind being ruled by the Klingon Empire. I was unemployed before the war but the Klingons can use my abilities. And they pay well!

Adding to this if you don't mind:

I am Lt. General Lazira Irun of the Bird of Prey IKS Doom Bird.. I am a Trill who spent her whole life training to be joined. When my field docent washed me out of the program, I hunted and murdered a man for his symbiont. Once joined, Lazira Riven became Lazira Irun, and the memories of having murdered myself combined with the wisdom of centuries tempered my insanity. Two of my previous hosts had ties to the Klingons, and as a fugitive, I had no where else to go. I immersed myself in Klingon culture, trying to atone for my past dishonor, and now I fight for the KDF.

I am Lt. General Lazira Irun of the Bird of Prey IKS Doom Bird.. I am a Trill who spent her whole life training to be joined. When my field docent washed me out of the program, I hunted and murdered a man for his symbiont. Once joined, Lazira Riven became Lazira Irun, and the memories of having murdered myself combined with the wisdom of centuries tempered my insanity. Two of my previous hosts had ties to the Klingons, and as a fugitive, I had no where else to go. I immersed myself in Klingon culture, trying to atone for my past dishonor, and now I fight for the KDF.

Gagh is the Klingon Flavor, not only that, but it's what's for breakfast!

Seriously though i think the KDF just want a lot of what the feds have and they don't. Like a wider range of costume bits (the KDF trenchcoat was nice) Or maybe some more KDF specific missions (which i'm sure are gingerly on their way). They've already got the Battle Cloak as well as Carriers and a few other relatively awesome ships though. I'm curious to see the new Qo'nos and tutorial though. Although some of those Nausicaan weapsons would be cool to get a hold of.

On a more serious note, while there may be more races than the Klingons, they are all subservient in one way or another to them. As such, the overall "flavor" should be focused on the dominate race, i.e. the Klingons. However, that doesn't mean that I won't enjoy an Orion-themed mission or a Gorn-centric storyline. Anything to overcome the monotony of the grind.

That being said, I have (or will make) KDF characters with varying backgrounds. I have a truly honorable Worf/Martok-style Klingon, a Gorn freedom fighter, an Orion Syndicate officer, and a Naussicaan pirate (with the addition of one or two more that have no real backstory yet).

I would say that each of these races have their own unique 'flavor' (read: culture) and it wouldn't hurt if those cultural differences were explored a little.

How many Fed players "get" that the model for Klingon culture was influenced by feudal Oriental cultures?

"Diplomatic Orders", as good a mission as that is, only hints at one of the reasons why the Federation and the Empire are at odds. A new player without background material would have no reason to know that there used to be an Alliance or why it collapsed. I don't recall any mission text that addressed it. If people who've actually read the official timeline don't fully understand why there's a war on, then people who haven't read it don't have a chance of understanding it.

So from a Fed perspective, the Klingons are just out being "the bad guys" again. But from a Klingon perspective, they have a visceral need to hunt down the Undine and eradicate them and the Federation is too soft to deal with the situation appropriately.

That's one reason why we need to see the Klingon side of that mission. It would flesh out the backstory and put a little righteous indignation into a new KDF player's backbone.

In a game like this, you can only deal out background information a little at a time. But even a little bit is better than nothing.

I am Lieutenant General Percival Boyles of the Guramba class siege destroyer Ice Pick. I spent my entire childhood trying to get off the acid washed death trap that is Nausicaa to finally breath deep and free in the vacuum of space. The Gorn Hegemony's checks didn't bounce when they had me firing at the Klingons, and the KDF hasn't missed a payment yet now that they have me firing at the Federation. But I swear, the next time they try to slingshot me to some suicidal raid in the distant past, I'm giving them the finger and going back to piracy.

Even though those other member races are not Klingons, they are members of the KDF, either through conquest or alliance. Like Starfleet, the KDF would have its own operational procedures aboard its vessels, based on distinctly Klingon ideals. Unlike the Federation, where no particular species is dominant, the Klingons are firmly in charge of the KDF, and they run it as a Klingon organization.

I'm not sure they would operate on the same procedures as Klingon ships. I recall quite distinctly an episode of DS9 where Worf was serving on General Martok's ship and General Martok was refusing to enter Dominion territory to retrieve a damaged Klingon ship and it's survivors. If you don't recall the episode, Worf called Martok a coward and challenged him right then and there for the captaincy of hi ship. Martok won the fight and was so invigorated by classic Klingon combat that he pushed his newly moralized men into Dominion territory, into the ambush he knew was waiting for them and out the other side victorious.

Now imagine that same situation, but replace Martok with an orion female. Do you really see her rising with hot blood and righteous anger at the accusations of cowardice being leveled at her by her first officer? Do you really see her giving him a fair fight? No, it wouldn't work.